Could Grim Dawn Be Diablo II’s Successor?

Last week, a game created by a developer that was once a one-man team proudly released their highly anticipated and long awaited game project, Grim Dawn, and this PC ARPG has not gone unnoticed in the gaming community.

Since 2009, Crate Entertainment has shed blood, sweat, and tears to deliver us this ARPG. Their hard work has certainly paid off as Crate Entertainment’s first title Grim Dawn has received a mass of positive reviews and comments from the gaming community.

Grim Dawn is an action role-playing game set in the war-stained world of Cairn where two powerful factions have their own agenda as to the fate of the human race. Whilst new horrors have entered the world and the ongoing warfare between these factions has continued, some individuals have obtained special abilities. Coincidentally, your character is one of those blessed with these abilities, and it’s up to you to rescue the human race from its grim fate.

Basically, Grim Dawn involves player’s characters transforming from a potential-filled nobody to a fearless being of power, and journeying through the dark lands of war to save the world from its demise. Sound familiar?

So what is it about Grim Dawn that makes it so good that an overwhelming number of gamers have praised it?

Atmosphere

Many players have commented on the ambience of the Grim Dawn game. The music and sounds have been chosen well and portray the grim feeling throughout the game. In addition, the graphics are smooth and dress the game in a classic ARPG jacket.

Character Classes

Grim Dawn players can choose between six base character classes and can have a second character class as well. A variety of class combinations can be made, and what makes the dual-class option awesome in Grim dawn is that most classes can perfectly harmonize with one another. This gives players more freedom to experiment and determine what the best class is for them. These two Grim Dawn classes will have their own separate skill trees, but players may choose to combine them together. And if players end up not being happy with the way they assigned their skill points then, for a small price, they can approach an NPC who can reset skill points.

Crafting System

Crafting recipes are spread all over in Grim Dawn and can be found through farming, quests and more. Once players use the crafting recipes found in their inventory, the recipe knowledge will be stored permanently on their character. Special effects and bonuses will also be added to crafted items if players choose to create them at a smithy. Grim Dawn has something called a devotion system. Aside from mixing up classes and assigning skill points on their trees, players can upgrade their characters through the devotion system. By cleansing shrines found throughout the game, players can acquire unique effects to add to their skills.

Loot Drops

Those of you who have already experienced Grim Dawn will have noticed that item loot has a great deal of variety. With the steady loot drop, players can expect themselves to continuously upgrade their armor and weapons.

Game Difficulty

Grim Dawn offers several difficulty levels, which in turn not only impact the strength of enemies, but also the player’s character. One big example of this is the penalty placed on your character’s stats as the difficulty increases (e.g. Character’s fire resistance is reduced to 25% if the game is set on Elite difficulty). Players of all skill levels remain challenged throughout Grim Dawn.

Factions

With war, come foes and allies. Players may side with different Grim Dawn factions to unlock various benefits from the factions they choose. A few of these benefits are unique quests, special items, and vendor discounts. Enemy factions may also send a nemesis to hunt players down. Your choices have consequences and make your decision a more meaningful experience.

Offline gameplay

Unlike the recent popular ARPGs (E.g. Diablo III and Path of Exile), Grim Dawn doesn’t need internet connection unless you play multiplayer. Players who prefer to fly solo or have an unreliable ISP can play Grim Dawn offline. In this day and age that it is near to impossible to play any game offline.

It Feels Familiar

One of the most popular and loved classic ARPG titles is Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo II. While it might not be a sequel or related to Diablo II whatsoever, many gamers who have ventured into the world of Grim Dawn have mentioned how much it reminds them of their own gaming experience in Diablo II. A few others have even claimed that Grim Dawn has become the successor of the popular ARPG by Blizzard, shadowing over the actual third instalment of Diablo.

While not all might agree that this ARPG is the next Diablo II, many have come to adore and love Crate Entertainment’s masterpiece. It’s currently on its 2nd week in Steam Early Access, rocking the ratings with a high score and positive feedback.